Month: April 2017

Queen Victoria, who is FeLV+ (Feline Leukemia Virus Positive), was recently adopted into a wonderful home!

This snuggly, sweet, and active girl had been living outdoors, however, it was apparent that she was an incredibly friendly cat who needed a good home, and in January, 2017, she was admitted to Tree House. When she arrived, Victoria was covered with fleas and understandably a bit cautious. She was also FeLV+.

Feline Leukemia Virus, also known as “FeLV,” is the cause of a variety of diseases. It is not cancer, but instead an incurable retrovirus that compromises a cat’s immune system making them more susceptible to other illnesses. FeLV is specific to cats and does not pose a risk to other animals or people. Read more about FeLV here.

Last year, Tree House created a pop-up FeLV+ adoption room, the first of it’s kind in Chicago. Previously, FeLV+ cats were placed in foster homes and did not have as much of an opportunity to meet potential adopters. We were also grateful to have received grant funding from the ASPCA Lil’ BUB’s Big Fund to support the cost of care for FeLV+ cats and help cats like Victoria get the home they deserve.

The success of our FeLV+ adoption room has been wonderful and enabled us to not only adopt more FeLV+ cats but educate visitors and potential adopters about FeLV+ and led to our FeLV+ adoption room becoming a permanent part of our shelter headquarters.

At first, Victoria took some time to adjust in a foster home and was then placed in our FeLV+ adoption room. She is an incredibly affectionate cat who loves being held and would chat “hello” to anyone who walked her way! It was a happy day when a lovely adopter came in to meet a furry friend who could co-exist with their dog. The adopter fell in love with Victoria and decided to give her the home she had been waiting a very long time.